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As everyone knows, we are living in a world that is quickly moving to be everything about electronics. It
is amazing what electronic automation has done in all of our lives. You
can tell Alexa to water your grass, use your cell phone to turn
on your hot tub from across town so that it is heated up by the time
you get home, or check to see if your garage door is down. Not to
mention all of the cameras and security systems now. It IS really
amazing what you can do now from just using your cell phone.
Electronics are not only our future, but our present. And with that it
will not be long before a greater percentage of vehicles, including
motorcycles, will also be electric.

I read today that by 2021, BMW will have 5 all-electric vehicles and
by 2025, that number will reach at least 12 models including plug-in
hybrid models. Their goal for the current year is to deliver 140,000
electrified vehicles. By the end of 2019, the BMW Group expects to have
more than half a million electrified vehicles on the roads. Audi
announced that they will introduce 3 new electric vehicles by 2020 and
that 1/3 of their lineup will be electrified in some way, whether these
are full battery-electric powertrains, or plug-in hybrids like the two
existing e-tron models. Audi also announced that by 2020 their electric
cars will fast charge to 80% in 12 minutes.
Mercedes Benz and Daimler has one of the most aggressive
electrification plans amongst established automakers. They plan for
Mercedes-Benz and smart cars to offer electric versions of all car
models by 2022. And the list goes on and on.

Not only are the car makers going electric, so are the makers of motorcycles. You have probably heard about the Harley-Davidson LiveWire
electric motorcycle coming out in August 2019 with a list price of
$30,000 and a range of 110 miles. I'm not sure exactly what market they
are going after with this bike. I don't see most Harley purist going
for that, nor do I see someone wanting basic green transportation
willing to pay $30k for it either. Especially when they can get a
comparable unit from Lightning Motorcycle that will do 150 mph, 150
mile range and a 35 minute charge to 80%, all for under $13,000.

But are motorcycle buyers even ready for this mode of transportation?
Zero Motorcycles, who have been selling electric bikes for a few years
only sold 750 units in 2018 of the SR model which offers better
performance than the LiveWire at half the price. Lightning seems to be
moving more with the millenial market where buyers are looking for more
for less. Even with gas-powered motorcycles, buyers are looking at
manufacturers with price points much lower than the premiums Harley
charges. I have ridden the LiveWire and it is a fantastic ride. It has
all the right performance specs and is built to last. But I would think
that most prospective buyers will suffer some sticker shock looking at
the LiveWire with a price of 30k price tag, particularly the the
younger buyer that is not willing to pay for the HD badge. Especially
when compared to other electric bikes at half the price.

Maybe Harley-Davidson has another plan.Possibly
they are going to use the LiveWire as their flagship highest priced
cruiser electric model and start filling in the rest of the price
points with other designs, specs and uses. At the CES recently they
announced 1 new electric scooter and one electric mountain bike looking
thing with no pedals. The Electric Scooter
actually looks like a blast to ride and if priced right could really
take off for urban transportation uses. The mountain bike without
pedals kind of puzzles me. I'm not sure who would really want one of
those, or why, unless
you just wanted to go riding off road to see the scenery without the
exercise. Whatever the reasons, it is clear that Harley-Davidson is
trying to find different ways to plug the holes of slowing sales of
their gasoline powered motorcycles with the wave of the future. It
won't be the first time they have had to reinvent themselves. It will
be fascinating to see where the gas vs. electric goes in the next 5
years as it pertains to motorcycles and the habits of their riders. Click Here to see the HD scooter and the electric bicycle.

One thing that we know for sure is that times are changing. The
motorcycle landscape has changed as the core group of riders are
getting older. Riding habits have seemed to change a lot in just the
last 3 or 4 years. It will be interesting to see where we go from
here.

Please
stay up to date and "Like" the Cyclerides.com Facebook
Page for updates on special activations, Live Music and Specials at
both of our Bike Nights. Enjoy your week andPlease
Ride Safe!Barry

If
you would like to sign up for the Cyclerides.com Weekly UpdateClick Here.Tidbits:

For those of you that keep up
with what is going on with the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company, they
just released earnings this week and it wasn't so good. The decline in
sales is continuing due to the age of their core riders and the profits
are being squeezed. U.S. retail sales were down about 10% in the 4th
quarter and profits got clobbered. Click Here for the story from CNBC.

This Week

Saturday and Sunday, February 9-10Buckeye Air Fare 2019.
Looking for something to do with a lot of eye candy from the sky. Check
out the Buckeye Air Fair being held at the Buckeye Municipal Airport
located at 3000 S. Palo Verde Rd. in Buckeye, AZ on Saturday and
Sunday, Feb. 9th and 10th. This would be a great outing with the Kids
and Grandkids, or just an afternoon of fun in this great weather. The airshow will begin with a parachute jump with the American Flag during the National Anthem. Following that there is a
great lineup for the airshow this year including a one of a kind YAK110
flown by . This is where Russion military hardware meets American
engineering. They actually took 2 YAK 55's and stuck them together,
then added a jet engine in the middle for some extra fun. I saw this
plane in Oshkosh this past Summer and it is a must see! You will also
see a bi-plane performance from Jon Melby Airshows as well as Brad
Wursten in his "Power Addiction" Airshow. Each maneuver will be
described by Airshow Announcer extraordinarie Jeff Overby. The airshow
takes place between Noon and 2pm both days. There are also a lot of
static displays of aircraft that you can get up close to and lots of
vendors. There are also a lot of activities for the kids. The event is
from 9am - 3pm both days. Free to view, or upgrade to get up close with
VIP tickets. Click Here for more information.
***If you are planning on riding a motorcycle, just be aware that there may not be availability of asphalt parking.***

Next Week

Saturday, February 16th26th Annual MMA Freedom Beach
Party. The 26th Annual MMA Freedom Beach Party takes place from 12:00
pm – 5:00 pm on February 16th at Jakes Corner Bar located at 57564
AZ-188, Payson AZ 85541. $15.00 Per person first 100 get a meal
included. Enjoy watching or participating in the Hula Contest, Ugly
Hawaiian shirt Contest, Tattoo Contest and People games. Live Music by
Frozen Fire FMI-Vine 928-978-2850.

Upcoming Event

Arizona Bike Week is only 10 weeks away now. The dates are April 3rd - 7th.
The full list of bands this year playing in the RockYard have been announced and they are: Wednesday, April 3rd - BuckcherryThursday, April 4th - George Thorogood and The DestroyersFriday, April 5th - 3 Doors DownSaturday, April 6th - GodsmackClick Here for more details.

Extras

Mid Week Updates will be made on the
Cyclerides.com Facebook.New
Easy to remember Facebook address. Go to www.facebook.com/cycleridescom. Over
7000
LIKES! Take a look at all the new photos posted on the
wall. If you are not on Facebook, you can still view the
page, but you will not be able to post. There will be a link there
for you to sign up for Facebook if you are inclined. Click the LIKE
button!